“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.” – Albert Einstein
Taking this thought forward, creative thinking & media have been like hand and glove. Whether it is having that itchy ‘nose for news’ or that inquisitive mind to look for stories that are novel & unique, or to create new forms of storytelling like the podcast, digital content creation for OTT platforms or looking for that ‘subject-action’ plots that will tickle the ‘Navrasas’ within us, media content has been and will always be looking for something different in the familiar. That’s where Creative Thinking & Writing transforms the way the audience is digesting the content available on umpteen platforms.
Traditionally media started with communication and transmitting information from one place to the other. But entertainment always played a major role. Storytelling played a bigger role which was since ancient times depicted through rock paintings, performing arts, music, dance, dramas and later as technology gave wings to the imagination of people, through cinema, radio and television. Human beings always have had a prolific imagination which they transcreated into visual stories through a variety of mediums. In this world of ever-changing convergence that is bringing transmedia into play, we have a burst of creative storytelling.
For example ‘Doodling’ where the artist uses tools of electronic media and art and produces animated and vibrant stories seemingly looking random but giving a host of messages.
Today’s digital platforms are abuzz with content that is the product of transmedia like audio, visual, written word, live streaming, multimedia, AI and much more.
For the uninitiated, the present world of media might just be a loop of reels and shorts on their social media account which they do not seem to stop viewing or the cacophony of news discussions. But an aware youngster who is keen to be a part of this exploding creative media industry can give direction to his creative mindset and choose exactly what he intends to do from the plethora of choices available.
The surprising thing is that even if new media is taking content creation to an entirely new level, the other forms of media like radio, cinema, television, and theatre are still popular and have a good place amongst consumers & creators. So much so that we can see housewives and vloggers rubbing shoulders with veterans of media on digital platforms. It has created a lucrative business option for all content creators.
Hence, students who want to enter the creative world of content creation get a chance to dabble with storytelling for dramas, documentaries and other non-fiction formats as well as become ‘Prosumers’ ( producers+consumers) themselves. The new forms of media allow them to not only consume content but also produce content. Earlier audiences could only read or watch the news or other content. Today they can produce content through blogs, social media or Citizen Journalism portals or podcasts.
http://www.isomes.com/ International School of Media & Entertainment Studies, has pioneered the Industry Integrated media training in Journalism, Electronic Media as well as Creative Television. The Institute through its training and education in various media courses (Degrees as well as Diplomas) prepares the students in thinking ‘out of the box’ and gets them into Industry ready. From ‘Script To Screen’ and in all formats of Digital media, ISOMITES learn & apply all nuances of the latest media trends. The pupil transforms from a student to a professional at the campus itself and gets ready to explore the mediascape of present times and fulfil his/her dreams of becoming an ace media professional.
Tanuja Shankar
(The writer is a veteran creative television professional & Director ISOMES)